Buoyed by his landslide re-election to lead the ANC for the next five years, the ball is now in Cyril Ramaphosa’s court to rescue the ruling party from further electoral losses while building a legacy of his own as head of state.
The ANC January 8 occasion gives Ramaphosa an opportunity to tell South Africans what his second term as the country’s president will look like. It is expected that he will use the birthday rally, to be held in Free State, as a launch pad for the 111-year-old political party’s 2024 general elections campaign and set the tone for his State of the Nation Address on February 9.
The annual rally is a key political gathering for the ruling party, marking its formation on January 8 1912 as an umbrella organisation for black South Africans and bringing together churches, black scholars, community organisations and traditional leaders.
The former liberation movement was formed to fight for the rights of the disenfranchised and to oppose the draconian anti-black laws.
Ramaphosa addressed his 2022 January 8 rally under different conditions, after the country’s economy had been severely battered by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Many would argue that the president had little room to manoeuvre, but this time, things are rather different, because he has a comfortable support of his party following his victory during its elective conference at the Nasrec Expo Centre in December.
What makes the job far much easier for Ramaphosa is that he is no longer beholden to those who propelled him to power and can decisively take drastic decisions without fear of a backlash.
Political pundits agree that Ramaphosa’s presidency has been characterised by a weak cabinet, his lack of vision and political wit. However, his re-election allows him to redeem himself.
At his last January 8 address, Ramaphosa preached renewal, rebuilding, fighting corruption and economic recovery. “We must unflinchingly and with urgency renew the movement,” he said at the time.
“As we do so, we must be clear that this will be a painful and protracted process.”
He also set out key priorities of what the ANC should immediately embark on, including building a social compact to decisively address unemployment. The president also said at the time that his government will build capable and developmental state with an effective and ethical public service which at its core wll drive the implementation of the transformative agenda.
Some of the pressing matters expected to feature prominently in Ramaphosa’s address on Sunday are the race relations in the country, with the ruling party holding its rally in a province that has seen a plethora of frightening racial incidents.
The latest racial incident to rock Free State took place at the Maselspoort Resort and Conference Centre. This after a video emerged on social media showing a group of white men attacking two black teenagers for apparently swimming in the “whites only” pool.
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